Abuse Reports Of ‘Reproductive Coercion’ Doubled After Roe Ended
October 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
New data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline show in the yearlong period after the end of Roe v. Wade, there was a near doubling of domestic violence reports involving reproductive coercion. Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has self-funded a national abortion access effort.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All
March 14, 2024
Podcast
Health care wasn’t expected to be a major theme for this year’s elections. But as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations this week, the future of both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act appears to be up for debate. Meanwhile, the cyberattack of the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare continues to do damage to the companies’ finances with no quick end in sight. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new, four-part documentary series on the history of public health, “The Invisible Shield.” Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Not-So-Health-y GOP Debate
August 24, 2023
Podcast
The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 cycle took place without front-runner Donald Trump — and with hardly a mention of health issues save for abortion. Meanwhile, in Florida, patients dropped from the Medicaid program are suing the state for not giving them enough notice or a way to contest their being dropped from the program. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
El vínculo con la esclerosis múltiple impulsa una vacuna contra el virus Epstein-Barr
By Liz Szabo
October 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Los científicos llevan años intentando desarrollar vacunas contra este virus. Sin embargo, recientemente varios avances en la investigación médica han dado más urgencia a la búsqueda y más esperanzas de éxito.
CMS Releases Final Rule That Would Cut Doctor And Hospital Pay Next Year
November 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The final regulation is in line with proposed payment cuts that were published over the summer. Many doctors can expect to see a decrease in their reimbursements, unless Congress steps in. CMS also released another Medicare rule that moves forward with a plan to claw back funds from some hospitals to compensate for 340B overpayments.
Hemophilia B Treatment Has Late-Stage Study Success
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Pfizer says its experimental gene therapy treatment for hemophilia B met its main goal in a study — with a single dose outperforming current care standards. Other research covers women’s higher levels of empathy, covid vaccines, hydration’s link to lower disease risk, and more.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting Confusion
November 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the eligible booster pool as caseloads rise. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration finally has a nominee to head the agency: former FDA chief Robert Califf. And Medicare premiums for consumers will likely rise substantially in 2022, partly due to the approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Congress Is Out. The Presidential Campaign Is In.
August 3, 2023
Podcast
Congress is in recess until after Labor Day, and lawmakers won’t have much time when they return to get the government funded before the next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Republican campaign for president has begun in earnest, and while repealing the Affordable Care Act is no longer the top promise, some candidates have lively ideas about what to do with federal health programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Phil Galewitz, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” about how a bill that should never have been sent created headaches for one patient.
Covid ‘Doesn’t Discriminate by Age’: Serious Cases on the Rise in Younger Adults
By Will Stone
May 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
With older adults vaccinated, doctors say a growing share of their covid patients are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, as more contagious variants circulate among people who remain unvaccinated.
Some Illinois Prisoners Remain In Jail Despite New Medical Release Law
September 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports that although it’s been over a year since the Coleman Act went into effect, an investigation found fewer prisoners have been released than expected, thereby remaining in jail even though they are dying or disabled. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended the numbers in a press conference.
Watchdog Finds That Gaps In CMS Oversight Cost Medicare Part B Millions
January 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare Part B and its beneficiaries missed out on millions in savings related to drug payments, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General. HHS also issued a new rule on Medicaid reimbursements.
Many Women Mistreated By Medical Staff During Pregnancy, Survey Finds
August 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
Of about 2,400 women polled, 20% reported that they had been verbally abused, had their requests for help go unanswered, had their physical privacy infringed upon, or received threats to withhold treatment, the CDC survey found. Plus, news on breast cancer, Plan B, abortion in Illinois, and more.
Judge Hands Decisions On Disputed 340B Payments To HHS
January 11, 2023
Morning Briefing
A federal judge ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services will put a plan in place to address more than $1 billion in underpayments to hospitals under the federal drug discount program. Obamacare enrollment stats and Medicaid expansion benefits are also in the news.
Ohio Six-Week Abortion Ban Forces Some To Bulk-Buy Plan B
July 5, 2022
Morning Briefing
The Columbus Dispatch reports on how Ohioans are considering reproductive care options under the new abortion ban, with some stocking up on Plan B, and one woman describes how she’s considering sterilization as an option. Also: more on Plan B, employer abortion aid, and impacts on doctors.
Behind The Byline: Finding a ‘Superstar’ to Interview
By Jenny Gold
June 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Check out KHN’s video series — Behind The Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit.
Have a Case of a Covid Variant? No One Is Going to Tell You
By Christina Jewett and JoNel Aleccia and Rachana Pradhan
February 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As experts race to get an approved test for covid variants, officials are severely restricted from sharing information about the cases. That makes it harder to protect others.
Conservative Justices Seem Poised to Overturn Roe’s Abortion Rights
By Julie Rovner
December 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A majority of the members of the Supreme Court seemed sympathetic Wednesday during arguments to Mississippi’s assertion that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the procedure throughout the country, was wrongly decided.
La catarata de información sobre la inscripción a Medicare no explica bien las opciones de Medigap
By Harris Meyer
November 9, 2021
KFF Health News Original
En parte porque las políticas sobre el acceso y los costos de Medigap cambian dependiendo del estado, o por la información confusa, muchos beneficiarios no eligen lo que más les conviene.
HHS’ $5B ‘Project NextGen’ Aims To Develop New Coronavirus Shots, Drugs
May 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports that the majority of that funding will go to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for public-private partnerships — similar to the Operation Warp Speed model — to create next generation covid treatments and “pan-coronavirus vaccines.”
Morning Briefing for Friday, September 30, 2022
September 30, 2022
Morning Briefing
Friday’s roundup covers the FDA, suicide rates, Hurricane Ian, covid, 340B payments, Medicaid, and spies (!) Plus, weekend reads.